Wrist Injury Accidents Claims – How Do I Claim Compensation?

By Stephen Kane. Last Updated 1st September 2023. Below, you can find a guide to making a compensation claim for an accident causing a wrist injury. Below, you will read about many of the ways that wrist injuries are caused, and why you could have valid grounds to make a compensation claim. We also look at the issue of liability, who you can claim from, and how to get your claim started.

You are bound to have additional questions that are not answered by this guide. One of our knowledgeable claims advisors will happily answer them for you, and also to help get your claim underway as soon as possible. Call them on 0161 696 9685 to get your legal support today.

Select A Section:

  1. What Is A Wrist Injury?
  2. Wrist Injury Compensation Payout Examples
  3. Causes Of Wrist Injuries
  4. Who Is Eligible To Claim Compensation?
  5. Who Could Be Liable For Your Accident And Injuries?
  6. Is There A Personal Injury Claim Time Limit?
  7. No Win No Fee Claims For A Wrist Injury
  8. Wrist Injury Claims – How Can We Help?
  9. Advice For Accident Victims

What Is A Wrist Injury?

Your wrist consists of eight bones (these are named the carpal bones). These bones form a tube, named the carpal tunnel. This tunnel has several tendons and nerves within it. It is the action of these nerves and tendons which flex the wrist. The overall wrist is wrapped in its own ligament, anchoring it in place.

Wrist injury compensation claims guide

Wrist injury compensation claims guide

Soft tissue injuries to the wrist (damage to tendons, nerves, ligaments or muscles), are the most common type of wrist injuries, with fractures (either simple or compound) of the carpal bones being the next most common injury to the wrist.

If you suffer an injury to your wrist, from minor cuts and bruises, through soft tissue injuries and fractures, then as long as you can prove that a third party was at least partially the cause of the accident, a personal injury lawyer could be able to process a claim for you.

Wrist Injury Compensation Payout Examples

If your claim for compensation for a broken wrist or another type of wrist injury succeeds, then your payout could depend on several factors. These include how severe your injury is and how much of an impact the injury is having on the quality of your life. Because of this, broken wrist compensation payouts and settlements for other wrist injuries vary on a case-by-case basis.

All payouts for wrist injuries include general damages, which compensates you for the pain and suffering caused by your injury. For more insight into how much you may receive for general damages, you can view the compensation table below. 

The table offers guideline general damages amounts for different wrist and hand injuries. The figures are based on the 16th and latest edition of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) from 2022.

This table should be used as a guide only.

InjuryCompensationNotes
Hand (a)

£140,660 to £201,490Complete or effective loss of both hands
Hand (b)£55,820 to £84,570Serious damage to both hands
Hand (c)£96,160 to £109,650Complete or effective loss of one hand
Wrist (a)£47,620 to £59,860Injuries permanently harming the use of the wrist
Wrist (b)£24,500 to £39,170Injuries causing serious disabilities
Wrist (c)£12,590 to £24,500Injuries causing chronic pain
Wrist (d)£6,080 to £10,350A fracture taking over a year to heal
Wrist (e)In the region of £7,430A simple Colles fracture
Wrist (f)£3,530 to £4,740Undisplaced fracture

You may also be able to claim compensation for special damages. This covers financial losses and expenses caused by your injuries. Loss of income caused by your wrist injury is an example of something that may be covered under special damages.

For more advice on how much you may be able to claim for your wrist injury, contact our advisors for free today.

Causes Of Wrist Injuries

The answer to the question, “when should you see a doctor for a wrist injury?” is that if you intend to claim for the injury, you should always visit a hospital or see a doctor to have the injury treated so that a record of the injury exists. There are many ways that a wrist can be injured, but some are much more common than others, and these include:

  • Slips, trips or falls (either in a public place or on private property)
  • Road traffic accidents (with cyclists and motorcyclists being most prone to these injuries).
  • Accidents at work (or whilst working offsite for an employer).
  • Sporting accidents (as well as adventure activities such as hiking or rock climbing).
  • Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).

No matter how you have harmed your wrist, as long as the accident that caused the harm was the fault of a third party, even partially, then we could be able to help you to make a compensation claim.

Who Is Eligible To Claim Compensation?

If you have suffered an injury to your wrist, be it a minor laceration, a more serious soft tissue injury, or a severe compound fracture, then you could be eligible to claim compensation for the harm that you have suffered.

However, to be eligible to make such a claim, you will need to be able to prove that a third party was at least partly to blame for the accident or incident that caused you harm.

Wrist Injury Claims – Collecting Evidence

If you are eligible to make a personal injury claim after suffering a wrist ligament injury, you will need to provide evidence that negligence occurred.

Some examples of evidence you can use to support your claim for wrist injury compensation include:

  • Any video footage of the accident, such as CCTV footage.
  • Photographs of the accident site.
  • A copy of your medical records stating the injury you suffered and the treatment required.
  • If your wrist is broken, you could present an X-ray of your broken wrist.
  • The contact details of any witnesses to the accident, so that they can provide a statement later into the claiming process.

Contact our advisors today to see whether you could be eligible to make a personal injury claim. If they believe you could, they may connect you with a solicitor on our panel, who could help you with gathering evidence.

Who Could Be Liable For Your Accident And Injuries?

If you have suffered an injury such as a fractured wrist, or a sprained wrist, then as we mentioned above, as long as a third party was the cause, you could be able to claim. This third party is any distinct legal entity, such as:

  • Your landlord.
  • A supermarket operator.
  • A restaurant owner.
  • The local council.
  • Your employer.
  • A friend or family member.

In general, any private individual, company or organisation can be pursued for compensation. If the third party was only partially to blame for the accident, then you would claim against them at a reduced percentage of liability, which would lower the amount of compensation offered as a settlement.

Is There A Personal Injury Claim Time Limit?

There is a general personal injury claims time limit in place, and you need to begin your claim within this time limit to be eligible for compensation. The table below shows these limits. However, in some rare cases, these limits can changed or be extended. Speak to one of our claims team to check the time limit in your own case.

Circumstances of the ClaimTime Limit
If you were not yet 18 years old at the time the injury occurred.3 years from the date of your 18 th birthday.
If you were over 18 years old at the time the injury occurred.3 years for the date the injury occurred.

No Win No Fee Claims For A Wrist Injury

No win no fee wrist injury claim

No win no fee wrist injury claim

Our No Win No Fee claims service is a financially risk-free way to process your claim. There isn’t any upfront cost to begin a claim, nor a charge as your claim progresses.  If we do not succeed in winning you compensation, there is still no fee. If your claim is a success, a solicitor from our panel may charge a small fee when we receive a settlement payment for you. This is called a success fee. It is capped by legislation.

Wrist Injury Claims – How Can We Help?

This guide can work in conjunction with the services that our advisers can offer. While we give you general information about a wrist injury claim, our advisers could be able to offer you personalised information about your specific case.

They could be able to:

  • Provide an eligibility check
  • Assess liability in your claim
  • Advise you on gathering evidence
  • Give you an estimate for how much compensation you could get for your wrist injury

Our advisers are able to give you information about claiming for a wrist injury that a compensation calculator is not able to.

Whether you were affected by a wrist injury in a traffic accident, a public space or a wrist injury at work, your compensation will depend on your specific circumstances. We always recommend seeking legal advice.

If you would like a free consultation that could go into more detail about wrist injury settlements, then please reach out to a member of our team by:

Advice For Accident Victims

Please check these links, as they contain useful, relevant information.

H&SE statistics on wrist injuries

Information about wrist injuries and medical conditions

NHS information on wrist injuries

Workplace Rights

No Win No Fee Claims

We have lots of guides on claiming personal injury compensation, which you can find below.